Cam Talbot

Cameron Talbot is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. He has also played for the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and Los Angeles Kings.
Before joining the NHL, Talbot played at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where he was named an All-College Hockey America Second Team and MVP in the 2010 CHA tournament. Internationally, Talbot has represented Canada at the 2016 IIHF World Championship, where he won gold.

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Playing career

Amateur

Talbot grew up in Caledonia, Ontario, and played minor hockey within the region, going undrafted in the Ontario Hockey League's Priority Selection draft. Talbot made the Hamilton Red Wings of the Ontario Junior Hockey League for the 2004–05 season. In his second season with Hamilton in 2005–06, he was named one of the league's all-stars. He committed to playing college hockey at University of Alabama in Huntsville in mid 2006, as they were the only team to approach him. In his final OJHL season in 2006–07, he was named the league's most valuable player and earned all-star honours again. Following his excellent season, several other teams approached him, but he remained committed to UAH. While playing with Hamilton, Talbot attended university for two years which affected his National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility.
He joined UAH for the 2007–08 season, and as a freshman, and recorded one win and ten losses in 13 appearances, with an.860 save percentage and a 4.63 goals against average. He improved in his sophomore season in 2008–09 with the UAH Chargers, recording a record of two wins, sixteen losses and three tie games in 24 appearances, but with a save percentage of.907 and a GAA of 2.95. In his third and final season with the Chargers in 2009–10, he led his team to the College Hockey America conference title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the only the school's second time in its history. He finished the season with a record of 12–18–3, a save percentage of.925 and a GAA of 2.61. In the tournament, the Chargers nearly beat the top-ranked Miami Redhawks, but were ultimately eliminated. He was named to the All-CHA Second Team and was named the Most Valuable Player in the CHA Tournament.

Professional

New York Rangers

As an undrafted free agent, the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League signed Talbot to a contract on March 30, 2010. He signed an amateur tryout contract with the Rangers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack on March 31 and made one appearance for the team in the 2009–10 season. He was assigned to the renamed Connecticut Whale to begin the 2010–11 season. However, he suffered an ankle sprain on January 16, 2011, and missed 13 games. After recovering, he was assigned to the Rangers' ECHL affiliate, the Greenville Road Warriors, on February 21. He played in two games with Greenville, going 1–0–1, with a.921 save percentage and a 2.46 GAA. He was promoted to the Rangers directly from Greenville on February 28, but only dressed as the backup to starting goaltender Henrik Lundqvist and was returned to the Whale on March 3, 2011, without appearing. He completed the season in Connecticut where he made 22 appearances with a record of 11–9–2, a save percentage of.902 and a save percentage of 2.84. The team qualified for the playoffs and faced the Portland Pirates in the opening round. Connecticut was eliminated by Portland, with Talbot just starting one game of the series. Talbot played the entire 2011–12 season with Connecticut, making 33 appearances with a record of 14–15–1, a save percentage of.913 and a GAA of 2.61. After the Whale were eliminated in the second round from the AHL playoffs, Talbot was added to the Rangers' Stanley Cup playoff roster, but did not appear. In nine playoff games with Connecticut, he tallied a record of 5–4, with a.939 save percentage and a GAA of 2.10. He was named the Whale's starting goaltender for the 2012–13 season. In 55 games, he had a record of 25–28–1, with a save percentage of.918 and a GAA of 2.63. Connecticut failed to qualify for the playoffs and after the Whale's season ended he was again added to the Rangers' playoff roster but did not make any appearances.
He began the 2013–14 season with the renamed Hartford Wolf Pack. Talbot was called up to the Rangers on October 15, 2013, after Martin Biron was demoted to the AHL, finding himself a place in the NHL for the first time as the backup to starter Henrik Lundqvist. He made his on-ice NHL debut on October 24 in a 2–1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. His first NHL win came in his next game, against the Detroit Red Wings, on October 26, 2013, and he earned his first NHL shutout against the Montreal Canadiens on November 16, 2013. He finished the regular season with five games played for Hartford, going 4–0–1 with a.924 save percentage and 2.49 GAA. In 21 games with the Rangers, he went 12–6–1, with a.941 save percentage and 1.64 GAA, with three shutouts. In the 2014 playoffs, Talbot twice entered to relieve Lundqvist en route to the Rangers' Eastern Conference title before ultimately falling to the Los Angeles Kings in the Finals. He went 0-1–0 in the two games, with a save percentage of.846 and a GAA of 2.61.
For the 2014–15 season, Talbot began the year as the Rangers' backup goaltender. On December 20, 2014, he signed a one-year extension worth $1.45 million with the Rangers. He took a larger role in February 2015 after Lundqvist went down with a major injury. Talbot started 24 of the Rangers' next 26 games until March 27, when Lundqvist returned to the line-up. He finished the season with 36 appearances with a 21–9–4 record and a save percentage of.926 and a GAA and.926. For his remarkable efforts towards New York's Presidents' Trophy-winning season, he received the Steve McDonald Extra Effort Award on April 6. Though he backed up Lundqvist throughout the playoffs, he did not make an appearance as the Rangers advanced to the Eastern Conference finals before being eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Edmonton Oilers

On June 27, 2015, Talbot was traded by the Rangers to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for three draft picks in the 2015 NHL entry draft. He made his Oilers debut on October 8 in a 3–1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. He competed for Edmonton's #1 goaltender spot with Anders Nilsson during his first season with the Oilers in 2015–16. He marked his first shutout with the Oilers on January 4, in a 1–0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. On January 17, the Oilers signed Talbot to a three-year, $12 million contract extension. Nilsson was eventually traded to the St. Louis Blues, leaving Talbot as Edmonton's starting goaltender. He finished the regular season with a record of 21–27–5, with three shutouts in 56 appearances with a.917 save percentage and a GAA of 2.55. However, the team finished last in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs.
In the 2016–17 season, Talbot made his debut in an NHL outdoor game in the 2016 Heritage Classic, getting a shutout in a 3–0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. He had previously participated in two Stadium Series games with the Rangers as a backup, but had not appeared on the ice. On April 6, 2017, he set an Oilers record for most wins in a season passing Grant Fuhr, who had 40 wins, by earning 41 wins. Talbot finished the season by leading the NHL in games played and time on ice by a goaltender, as well as tied for first in wins with 42. The Oilers finished that season second in the Pacific Division, with 103 points. In the opening round of the 2017 playoffs against the San Jose Sharks, he recorded back-to-back shutouts. Talbot helped the Oilers reach Game 7 of the Western Semifinals, losing to the Anaheim Ducks in the first playoff appearance by the Oilers in ten years. Talbot finished the playoffs with a 2.88 GAA, a.924 save percentage, and two shutouts.
On October 4, 2017, Talbot recorded a 27-save shutout in the 2017–18 season-opener against the Calgary Flames. He and the Oilers would not be able to replicate the previous season's success, and missed the playoffs. He finished the season with a 31–31–3 record with a save percentage of.908 and a GAA of 3.02. He entered the 2018–19 season intending to prove the previous season was a fluke, but his play dipped again and he was surpassed by Mikko Koskinen in the Oilers net. In 31 appearances with Edmonton, he had a record of 10–15–3, with a GAA of 3.36 and a save percentage of.893.

Philadelphia Flyers

On February 15, 2019, Talbot was traded by the Oilers to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for goaltender Anthony Stolarz. Talbot had to waive his no-movement contract clause to be traded to the Flyers. Philadelphia acquired him to be both competition and a mentor to young goaltender Carter Hart and to replace Brian Elliott as backup. He made his Flyers debut on March 1, starting in a 6–3 victory over the New Jersey Devils, and marked the eighth goaltender to play for the team that season, setting a new NHL record. However, his play did not improve with Philadelphia, which was one of the worst teams in terms of goals against. He completed the season with the Flyers, recording a 1–2–0 record in four appearances, with a.881 save percentage and a GAA of 3.70.

Calgary Flames

On July 1, 2019, having left the Flyers as an unrestricted free agent, Talbot signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Calgary Flames. He made his first appearance for the Flames in a 2–1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on October 13. Early in the season, Talbot saw less action, backing up starter David Rittich. However, after a coaching change, by mid-season, Talbot became the preferred option. On February 1, 2020, Talbot fought fellow goalie Mike Smith of the Edmonton Oilers during a Battle of Alberta game. He recorded his first shutout with Calgary on February 13 in a 6–0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, setting a new career-high in saves in a game with 44. The 2019–20 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic when the league stopped all play on March 12. In 26 games, he had a record of 12–10–1, with a save percentage of.919 and a GAA of 2.63. When the NHL returned for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in August, Talbot beat Rittich for the starting spot for the Flames' opening series against the Winnipeg Jets in the qualifying round. In game four of the best-of-five series, Talbot recorded a shutout to eliminate the Jets. However, in the following best-of-seven round against the Dallas Stars, the Flames were eliminated, despite Talbot posting another shutout in game three.

Minnesota Wild

On October 9, 2020, the opening day of free agency, Talbot left the Flames and agreed to a three-year deal worth $11 million to become the starting goaltender for the Minnesota Wild. He made his first appearance for the Wild during the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 regular season on January 14, 2021, in a 4–3 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings. He marked his first shutout with Minnesota on March 12 in a 4–0 win over the Arizona Coyotes. He finished with a 19–8–5 record in 33 appearances in his first campaign with the Wild, with a save percentage of.915 and a GAA of 2.63, leading them to a playoff spot. However, the Wild were eliminated in the first round of the 2021 playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights. Talbot and young backup Kaapo Kähkönen played most of the 2021–22 season as the goalie tandem in Minnesota. Talbot was selected to appear in the 2022 NHL All-Star Game alongside teammate Kirill Kaprizov. However, at the trade deadline, the Wild traded out Kähkönen and acquired goaltender Marc-André Fleury to improve their depth in goal. Talbot finished the regular season with a record of 32–12–4 in 49 appearances, with a save percentage of.911 and a GAA of 2.76. Despite Talbot being the starter for the majority of the season, the Wild played Fleury through most of the first round playoff loss to the St. Louis Blues. Fleury, a pending free agent, re-signed with Minnesota in the offseason, allowing Wild general manager Bill Guerin to make Talbot available for trade despite stating that he intended to keep Talbot.

Ottawa Senators

On July 12, 2022, with a year remaining on his contract, Talbot was traded by the Wild to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Filip Gustavsson. His Senators debut was delayed until November 3 when he relieved Anton Forsberg in the second period of a 5–4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. He missed the first nine games of the 2022–23 season with an injury. He made his first start for Ottawa in the next game on November 5, a 2–1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. On December 12, Talbot got his first shutout with his new team, making 32 saves in a 3–0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. On December 27, Talbot stopped 49 of 51 shots in a 3–2 shootout win over the Boston Bruins, setting the Senators team record for saves recorded in a win. However, Talbot suffered a sequence of injuries including a broken rib and a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for three weeks. Despite plans by both Talbot and the Ottawa Senators for him to remain in Ottawa, a difference in contract length led Ottawa's general manager Pierre Dorion to announce in April 2023 that Talbot would not return with the team. He completed the season with a record of 17–14–2 in 36 appearances, with a save percentage of.898 and a GAA of 2.93.

Los Angeles Kings

At the opening of free agency on July 1, 2023, Talbot signed an incentive-laden, one-year, $2 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings. For the 2023–24 season, the Kings opted to go forward with a tandem of Talbot and Pheonix Copley in net, which was questioned based on Talbot's previous season in Ottawa. He made his Kings debut on October 11 in the season opener, a 5–2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. On November 4, he marked his first shutout with the Kings in a 5–0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. By December, Talbot was easing those doubts from the beginning of the season, and was selected to represent the Kings at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in January 2026. However, after his selection, his play plummeted and the Kings struggled to remain in playoff contention. However, after the All-Star Game, his play picked up again and the Kings made the playoffs. Talbot appeared in 54 games in the regular season, posting a 27–20–6 record with a 2.50 GAA, a.913 save percentage, and three shutouts. The Kings were ultimately swept out of the playoffs in the first round by the Edmonton Oilers in five games of their best-of-seven series. Talbot started the first three games of the series, was replaced partly through game three by David Rittich and backed up Rittich for games four and five. In the three games, he had a record of 1–2–0, with a save percentage of.861 and a GAA of 5.30.

Detroit Red Wings

On July 1, 2024, Talbot signed as a free agent to a two-year, $5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He was brought in to augment the existing goaltending tandem of Alex Lyon and Ville Husso for the 2024–25 season. He made his debut in the season opener on October 10 versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, relieving Husso in the second period in a 6–3 loss. He started the next game on October 12 and recorded his first shutout with the team in a 3–0 victory over the Nashville Predators. On December 1, Talbot suffered a lower-body injury that caused him to miss time. He returned on December 12 in a 4–1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. By January 2026, the goaltending tandem was now a duo, with Talbot and Lyon sharing the duties. With his second shutout of the season, a 2–0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 25, 2025, he became the second goaltender in NHL history to record multiple shutouts with six different teams. He finished the season as the Red Wings' goaltending leader in games played, wins save percentage, shutouts, while sporting a GAA of 2.91 as the team failed to make the playoffs.

International play

Talbot attended the 2016 IIHF World Championship as the starting goaltender for Canada. He led the team to its second straight gold medal at the tournament and tied a tournament record for shutouts with four.

Personal life

Talbot married his wife Kelly in 2011, and they had twins in October 2016.
Dating back to his time with the New York Rangers, Talbot has worn masks bearing characters and imagery from the Ghostbusters movies, painted by artist David Gunnarsson. This design also developed the goaltender's identity into being known as "Goalbuster."'
When UAH's hockey program faced dissolution in 2020, Talbot raised over one million dollars in donations to keep it active. Supported by the donations, the program survived one more year before ending with the 2020–21 season.

Records

Edmonton Oilers

Most wins in a season: 42